Dreaming and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: The Connection Essay examp

Introduction According to the dictionary diagnosis in PsychCentral, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is defined as a â€Å"debilitating mental disorder that follows experiencing or witnessing an extremely traumatic, tragic, or terrifying event† (PTSD Info & Treatment, 2013). While this definition describes the general definition of PTSD, the DSM-IV states that the criteria for being diagnosed with PTSD varies between a person who â€Å"experienced, witnessed, or was confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others† and/or â€Å"the person’s response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror† (DSM-IV, Appendix E). Such experiences can include various situations such as military involvement for veterans, domestic abuse, and even divorce. It is stated that once a person experiences a traumatic event, PTSD can develop as a combination of varying symptoms. When diagnosing possible PTSD patients, clinicians use the DSM-IV as a guide in â€Å"understanding clusters of symptoms† (Staggs, para. 1). Some of these symptoms include â€Å"recurrent and intrusive† recollections of the situation, â€Å"including images, thoughts, or perceptions; acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring; intense psychological distress† to symbols representing trauma; and â€Å"recurrent distressing dreams of the event†, or nightmares/terrors (DSM-IV, Appendix E). While all symptoms play an important factor in diagnosing a patient with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, the most common of the symptoms are the recurring dreams according to a statement in Dreaming in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Critical Review of Phenomology, Psychophysiology and Treatment by Wittmann, Schredl,... ...e and Mental Health Services Administration, 51, Appendix E. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK83241/ Shanks, V. (2013). TREATING THE UNCONSIOUS COMPLEX OF PTSD. Pacifica Graduate Institute, 20-21. Retrieved from http://media.proquest.com.ezproxy.emich.edu/media/pq/classic/doc Standen, A. (2012). Ending Nightmares Caused By PTSD. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/health/2012/01/16/144672190/ending-nightmares-caused-by-ptsd Swales, P. (2012). Sleep and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Retrieved from http://www.svfreenyc.org/survivors_factsheet_101.html Wittmann, L., Schredl, M., & Kramer, M. (2007). Dreaming in posttraumatic stress disorder: A critical review of phenomenology, psychophysiology and treatment. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 76, 25-39. Retrieved from http://media.proquest.com.ezproxy.emich.edu/media/pq/classic/doc